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Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers. Dolan wanted a show that could be performed in an alternative space rather than on a typical stage, she says, to reach more people. "A big goal for our debut year was to have theater become more accessible to the wider community," Dolan says. "There's something intimidating about a traditional performance space. I think it invites the same sort of folks every time. We wanted a show that we could create in a space that's very much not a theater." These performances will take place in the parking garage of Likewise, in a space that Dolan describes as industrial and Victorian with high ceilings, giant antique windows and a view over Mount Sequoyah. Dolan had been looking at wedding venues and large meeting spots, trying to "find the abnormal and make it exceptional," she says. Likewise's garage, with its mix of indoor and outdoor spaces, turned out to be just right, but that's not to say that it didn't take a little adjusting. Arts One Presents lighting designers have had to get creative to ensure there's enough illumination for the unusual stage and crafted a lot of elements specific to the space. They covered the ceiling in fairy lights, brought in trees to build up as lighting holders and used other less traditional means. Dolan says most of the technical staff working on the show have done eight to 10 productions a year for most of their adult lives, so she's glad to have their rich knowledge and problem solving skills for the various riddles of a modern leaning "Romeo + Juliet." "It's really exciting to see what they create," Dolan says. Among the venue's unique attributes is that the audience will surround the actors on three sides, which for those attending means a lot of interactivity with the performance. "It's really exciting with this much sword fighting and energy," Dolan says. It also has far fewer seats available, narrowing down audience space to less than a quarter of what ACO shows could hold. "So for each person who's there, this show is for you." Having the audience so close on almost all sides presents a particular challenge for the actors, who in usual performance venues are ordinarily trained to never turn their back to the audience and to always keep their "AN ENTIRELY FRESH, FUNNY & GORGEOUS NEW PRODUCTION. A REASON FOR CELEBRATION!" – N E W Y O R K M A G A Z I N E MAY 10-15 | 8 SHOWS! BEST AVAILABILITY THURSDAY AT 1:30PM. Broadway Series Sponsor: Media Support: Broadway supporters: Bob & Becky Alexander Friends of Broadway Additional support provided by Cynthia Coughlin Show Sponsors: 6 WHAT'S UP! APRIL 17-23, 2022 Romeo + Juliet Continued From Page 5 The Arts One Presents contemporary production of "Romeo + Juliet" has five epic battles, meaning lots of action scenes with plenty of sword fighting. This image is from Tybalt's death scene, featuring Ethan Dilday as Tybalt and Jacob Andrews as Romeo. (Courtesy Photo/ AOP) See Romeo + Juliet Page 38 bodies at a three-quarter angle. When they're surrounded like this on so many sides, it makes those rules difficult to keep. It's forced them all to relearn the fundamentals, something that doesn't hurt with so many folks new to theater performance. The cast includes 15 people whose experience levels are all over the place, Dolan says, students, young professionals, a retired choral director and a professional clown. After delaying the performance due to the Omicron covid surge, Dolan had to recast a couple of people. FEATURE